Halifax welcomes CeaseFire program to curb gun violence
Posted Jul 14, 2014 11:04:02 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Last night, a man was shot while walking on his block in north-end Dartmouth.
CeaseFire Halifax is a program that is trying to stop incidents just like that from happening.
Project manager Viki Samuels-Stewart told Global Halifax, violence is an epidemic, “And therefore, should be treated as such.”
“We see it as a public health issue,” she said.
The CeaseFire program has people in several communities throughout Halifax, including north Dartmouth, who will help break the cycle of violence by offering options for those swept up in the wrong crowds.
Samuels-Stewart said the project is modeled after a similar initiative that was used in the states, called Cure Violence.
“Shootings were down significantly at the sites where Cure Violence was located,” Samuels-Stewart said, adding that the main focus is to save lives.
“We’re losing our young people, and when you lose your young people, you lose your future.”
CeaseFire is the first project of its kind in Canada, and so far, it’s launched in north Dartmouth, north and central Halifax, and North and East Preston.
